Quiet Pickleball Paddle

ABSTRACT

A pickleball paddle that includes a paddle body and a handle connected to the paddle body, the core of the paddle is a frame, which can be made out of a variety of materials, some would be wood, aluminum, fiberglass or graphite, and the horizontal and vertical strings, which could be made from a variety of materials, some of which would be natural gut, polyester, or nylon, and a firm flexible mat material for the striking surface, such as PVC (poly vinyl chloride) natural rubber, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer,), jute or cork.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pickleball paddle, and more particularly to a pickleball paddle which has a quiet sound when the ball is being struck.

BACKGROUND

Pickleball is a paddle sport (similar to a racquet sport) that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. The pickleball court is similar to a doubles badminton court. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a Wiffle Ball, over a net. A pickleball paddle is shaped like a larger table tennis racket, originally made from wood. In these days, the pickleball paddle may be made from glass fiber, composite materials and graphite fiber.

A conventional pickleball paddle on the market includes a paddle body and a handle connected to the paddle body. The striking surface of the paddle is typically wood of a composite material that creates a loud niece with the pickleball paddle strikes the ball. In order to make the paddle body have a better shock-absorption effect, the paddle body has an accommodating space. Composite filler is disposed in the accommodating space, which can be quite heavy. The composite filler is usually made of EVA foam. Although it provides a better shock-absorption effect after the composite filler is used, the explosive force for hitting a ball is greatly weakened. Besides, the overall mass of the paddle is increased, which affects the user's experience.

The key performance features when using a pickleball racquet are weight, striking force and shock absorbing cores. No one to date has been concerned with the noise of the racquet. The striking power to date is created by the weight, less weight allow the racquet to be swung more forcibly, and the striking surface, which to date must be a hard surface. Racquets to date have a hard surface and a softer shock absorbing inner core, typically a composite filler of some sort.

The result is the paddle must be a compromise between striking force and the user friendly features of low weight and shock absorption built into the pickleball paddle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A pickleball paddle that includes a paddle body and a handle connected to the paddle body, the core of the paddle is a frame, which can be made out of a variety of materials, some would be wood, aluminum, fiberglass or graphite, the frame of the pickleball paddles having a stiffness rating of between RA 45 and RA 75, and strings, which go both vertically and horizontally from the frame, forming a string pattern that produces varying sizes of string openings, the strings stretched tight similar to a tennis racquet, with a tension of 40 to 65 lbs, the strings could be made from a variety of materials, some of which would be natural gut, polyester, or nylon, and a firm flexible mat material, such as pvc (poly vinyl chloride) natural rubber, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer,), jute or cork, with the hardness of the mat material at 15 to 30 Shore C.

Another embodiment of the invention is to still use the mat material as the hitting surface but replacing the strings with solid plywood or hard plastic as an inner core. This invention has string patterns similar to a tennis racquet created by horizontal and vertical strings which cross each other attached to the frame at the at the inner core providing striking power, and a firm mat material as the striking surface, which provides shock and sound absorbing features. The mat is held on the racquet due to a lip that on the inside edges of the racquet, extending toward the middle of the racquet, that allows the mat material to be held in place after the mat material is positioned underneath the lip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMBERS ON THE DRAWINGS

-   -   1. Paddle Body     -   2. Handle     -   3. Grip     -   4. Frame     -   5. Striking Surfaces     -   6. Striking Surface Connection to Frame     -   7. String Connection to Frame     -   8. Horizontal String     -   9. Vertical String     -   10. String Weave     -   11. Inner portion of frame that holds the striking surface on         top of the strings by the tension created by a tight fit.     -   12. An optional small frame lip on the frame, going toward the         center of the paddle body, to hold the mat surface striking         surfaces in place.     -   13. An optional striking surface lip under the striking surface         to go under the lip (12) to add enhanced holding power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 The frame of the paddle with the strings attached with vertical and horizontal strings attached to the frame, a the handle and grip are also shown.

FIG. 2 shows the paddle body with the flexible striking surface pulled down, showing the flexibility of the string surface.

FIG. 3 shows the frame with the two striking surfaces, one on one side the frame, and one on the other side of the frame. It also shows the optional lip on the bottom of the striking surface.

FIG. 4 shows the string weave that holds the strings in their place, and forms a firm surface below the striking surface, and also shows the frame lip 12 on the frame that can either hold the entire width of the striking surface below the lip, or can only hold the optional striking surface lip 13 on the bottom of the striking surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows the frame 4 of the Paddle Body without the two striking surfaces. The frame 4 holds the vertical 9 and horizontal strings 8 and string connections 7 that anchor the vertical and horizontal strings to the frame. The frame 4 includes a handle 2 which is covered by a grip 3.

FIG. 2 shows all the pieces of the paddle body 1, also showing that the striking surfaces 5 are flexible, with the striking force generated by the horizontal 8 and vertical strings 9 which are strengthened by the string weave 10 into a hard surface. This drawing also shows the frame 4, handle 2 and grip 3. This figure also shows how the striking surfaces 5, are an integral part of the paddle body, and are attached to the frame and a final feature to the construction of the paddle body 1.

FIG. 3 shows the inner surface of the frame 11, that holds the striking surfaces 5 and the striking surface lip 13 on the striking surface 5

FIG. 4 shows a better view of the frame lip 12, that hangs over the inner portion to the frame 4, that hold the striking surfaces 5 in place. FIG. 4 also shows a better view of the string weave 10, which gives strength and striking force to the pickleball paddle. 

I claim:
 1. A pickleball paddle, comprising a paddle body and a handle connected to the paddle body; a frame; horizontal and vertical strings, with the horizontal strings weaving above and then below the vertical strings with the strings being attached to the frame, each attachment point being near a midpoint of the front and back of the frame, and two mat type striking surfaces, attached to the frame, one in front of the strings, and one behind the strings.
 2. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strings have a tension of 40 to 65 pounds.
 3. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the mat type material has hardness of 15 to 30 Shore C
 4. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the stiffness rating is from RA 45 to RA 75
 5. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the handle has a grip.
 6. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the edges of mat striking surface lie inside the inner boundaries of the pickleball paddle's frame, held in by tension.
 7. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the both sides of the paddle's frame's inner outer edge has a lip, whereby when the flexible mat materials is positioned under the lip, the flexible mat material stays in position.
 8. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the side of the striking surface nearest the horizontal and vertical strings has a striking surface lip which can fit under the frame lip.
 9. The pickleball paddle as claimed in claim 1 where the horizontal and vertical strings are replaced by solid plywood or hard plastic. 